David Fine

Here we have one of Bwog’s favorite green sock wearers: David Fine.

Name, Hometown, School: David Fine, Dallas, TX, CC

Claim to fame? Editor of The Current, wearer of green socks, SGB chair.

Where are you going? Working in New York, occasionally reliving the glory days with fellow CU alumni on Low Steps heckling current students.

Three things you learned at Columbia:

1. Everyone talks about a triangle with work, sleep, and socializing at each corner, saying you need to pick two points to succeed. That is the biggest load of codswallop you’ll hear here (and there’s certainly a lot of codswallop floating around, least of which is my own). Don’t make charts for how you should live your life. Instead, figure out what balance works for you and stick with it. When it stops working for you, change it—even in the same day, even in the same hour! The stuff that we call socializing here should enhance every other aspect of your time at Columbia, especially academics. In sum: fret less about how you should do Columbia, and just do it.
2. All is fair in love and war (with administrators) and finding open booths at 1020. It’s the last that you truly must perfect if you’re to have any success at all. Here’s a good story that explains all three. I love Barnard, I think it’s the best. When last semester Barnard Student Life imposed a pre-approval on student fliers, as SGB chair I knew it was my job to help fix something I love. I sat down with a Barnard administrator for over an hour trying to explain that this policy was bad and that they wouldn’t win a fight with SGB or other student groups over this. As the meeting was winding down, the administrator sincerely looked me in the eye and pleaded, “I hope I could’ve said something in this meeting that would avoid you opposing us on this.” I said something like, “suspend the policy immediately and work with us on creating a new one.” The administrator deadpanned, “we won’t do that.” We both looked at each other and kind of shrugged, shook hands, and went our separate ways. It was basically a declaration of war. Less than a week after that meeting Barnard had repealed the policy. So, if you’re keeping track, I’ve got love (for Barnard) and war (with administrators), what does this have to do with 1020 booths? The first rule of securing 1020 booths is that when you jump into a just emptied booth, you must stare down any would-be booth thieves without blinking. You must be vigilant and you must be steadfast in your commitment to the booth. I applied the same principles when faced with obstinate administrators, broken bureaucracy, and intransigent interests at Columbia. Everything I learned worth knowing, I learned at 1020. (more…)

What you should prep for

Underclassmen have to be out of housing by noon tomorrow (eek!!!), but there’s still tonight to live it up, get on with your bad self, and appreciate Columbia culture.  To help with all three of them, the band Sun Looks Down (Diana Flanagan, CC’15, David Su, Spencer Horstman, Jacob Sunshine, all CC’14) is putting on a last concert tonight at 9 pm in 112 Dodge Hall.  The concert will also showcase Taylor Simone, CC’14, and Wheatchief (David Beal, Joe Bucciero, and Michael Blair, all CC’15).  Get out there and have some fun before it all comes to an end and you have to go back to the suburbs where all your high school friends are still putting on crappy basement concerts covering Blink 182.

IT via Shutterstock

Christine Liu

Hear from Christine Liu, co-president of Engineers Without Borders.

Name, Hometown, School: Christine Liu, Nutley, NJ, SEAS (Chemical Engineering)

Claim to fame? Being the first to die in the 2010 CU Assassins games, Co-President of a silly group of passionate engineers. I’ve been told I make funny faces.

Where are you going? Some streets down and a few avenues over, working at one of those consulting firms until I figure out what to do with the rest of my life. But before that, Guatemala to work at an NGO and play with small children!

Three things you learned at Columbia:

1. It’s ok to fail. I got the lowest midterm grade in my freshman year Adv Gen Chem course and almost failed a course Junior year and am still somehow graduating employed. I probably learned the most from my own failures during my time here and how to bounce back from a seemingly hopeless situation.
2. Smile and say hi to people you’ve met when you pass them. It’s polite and beats pretending to read a non-existent text. My peers are what made my experience at Columbia, more than my actual classes and professors.
3. Don’t be afraid to quit things. College is a time to explore and figure out what makes you, you. If something isn’t making you happy (an activity, a friend group, a major), don’t be afraid to drop it and focus on something else. Yes, even in SEAS it’s possible to change your major/minors up to a certain point. Find what you love and stick with that.

Back in my day… People paid full price for a Deluxe burger, Broadway between 119th and 120th was a constant construction zone, JJ’s chicken fingers and fries weren’t bottomless and each bite was savored

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: Engineers Without Borders. (Sigma Omega Beta), Meh, Moo

(more…)

Daniel Bonner

Name, Hometown, School: Daniel Bonner; Johannesburg, South Africa and Dallas, Texas, USA; Columbia College

Claim to fame? Gave you $$ as SGB Vice Chair, spent it as Hillel & Yavneh Prez. Founder, BonnerJams90 Inc.

Where are you going? Staying in the city to work, finally explore below 110th street, and see how long I can stay away from College Walk after graduation (1-2 days, tops – see instagram)

Three things you learned at Columbia:

1. In case you haven’t heard me scream this from the Sundial before: things will never be this good. That’s not meant to be depressing — life will be awesome. But rarely, if ever, will you once again have this amount of time to stay up all night “writing a paper” but really just enjoying one extended life talk with friends; to plan a day of activities and land up running into a friend and spend it instead sitting on Low Steps; to introduce yourself to some random person you’ve always wanted to meet and gain a lifelong friend…you graduate from here with a Columbia degree, which is cool, but also with a more intangible, though much more meaningful group of Columbia friends. Would I take out those loans again for the degree? I think so. But for the friends? No question about it.
   
2. Speaking of time – I learned not to waste it at the package center. One great option offered last year – order packages to your friends mailboxes and be grateful when they bring your stuff back. But if it’s Amazon, order your stuff to an amazon locker at Rite Aid. You just walk in, punch in a code, and voila. The stuff always arrives on time. It’s amazing. All good if you ignore everything else in this senior wisdom — but follow this advice. (more…)

Steele Sternberg

First up today: Steele Sternberg, future teacher extraordinaire: 

Name, Hometown, School: Steele Sternberg, Denver, Colorado (i.e., the greatest place in the universe), CC

Claim to fame? I went through all of Columbia without pulling an all-nighter for academic-related reasons. I worked with a number of really great groups on campus including Academic Success Programs, COÖP, Latenite Theatre, the Spectator Editorial Board, and the URC. You have also probably heard me yelling far too loudly about something at some point.

Where are you going? I’m going to teach or, more accurately, learn how to teach! I’m doing this very cool new program where you teach at a boarding school for two years and get a master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania (my loyalties shall always lie with Alma). I’ll be moving from NYC to rural Connecticut for the job. It’s going to be a change, but no loss of restaurant options can make up for the number of new stars I’ll be able to see at night.

Three things you learned at Columbia:

1. Every day when you wake up and walk out the door you have to power to make someone else’s day really awesome or really shitty. As much as we all like to imagine ourselves as incredibly independent and self-sufficient people, I have found that, in my own experience at least, I am incredibly dependent on the kindness and support of my friends to make or break my experience here. It’s somewhat frightening to think that you may have that much importance in the happiness and success of others, but it can also be incredibly empowering to realize that, every day, you have the opportunity to make someone else feel incredibly valued and appreciated.
   
2. Our collective ability to experience nostalgia for things from the 90’s like Space Jam and denim is unparalleled and provides infinite entertainment.
3. It is actually okay to talk to other people about your feelings! When I came to Columbia I thought that my emotions were merely superficial ailments that ought to be cast aside in my pursuit of some kind of purely rational perfection. That was both naïve and detrimental to my mental health. Learning how to talk about your psychology can open up much deeper and more substantive relationships with other people and help your own health in the process.

(more…)

How you feel if you have a Friday final.

Why so long? Because time. I have a lot of it now.

Bwoglines: A group of millionaires, known as The Long Now Foundation, are building a 10,000 year clock inside a mountain in Texas. It is inspired by the “The Millenium Clock,” written by Danny Hills for Wired in 1986. (Vice)

Time marches on – and right over an ancient Mayan pyramid. And by marched we mean turned to gravel for use on a “road project.” Oops! (The Guardian)

Procrastination: Sex is a part of the natural world. It has always and will always be a focus in our lives. That said, the natural world is also full of super weird animal penasia! Every link is 100% Bwog-certified worth it. (Vice)

Queens of the Stone Age’s eagerly anticipated comeback album, “…Like Clockwork,” comes out on June 4th. Until then, you can enjoy an interwoven video series (on-loop) that has been plucked straight from your nightmares and is rife with enough hellish imagery to make you miss the nighttime company of even the most annoying of Carman suitemates.

Join Dueling Network fo’ FREE! Live out all your “Heart-of-the-Card” fantasies. If you’re serious, challenge Bwog to a duel. We’ll be waiting.

…Or, you know, you could read a book.

Finals Tip: Stop. Go get drunk like all the other kids.

Overheard: Little boy pointing at the structure in front of Buler (pre-completion): Look! They’re building a spaceship!

To Infinity and Beyond, Seniors.

The infinitesimal nature of our existence via Shutterstock

Claire Duvallet

For the last Senior Wisdom of the day we have Claire Duvallet, who made your life a lot better, even if you didn’t realize it.

Name, Hometown, School: Claire Duvallet; Austin, TX (mostly); SEAS BME

Claim to fame? Puppies, lawns, and SEAS study abroad

Where are you going? Phnom Penh, Cambodia to work for Engineering World Health as a Luce Scholar next year. Then MIT for my Ph.D. in biological engineering. Hurray for not having to make any life decisions till next decade!

Three things you learned at Columbia:

1.  Quality >> quantity. This goes for words, friends, and time spent studying.
2. Happiness deserves a spot on your to-do list, and your well-being should be scheduled into your life as much as your millions of problem sets or essays. The amount of work you’ll get done past a certain time at night is less than the amount you’ll gain from your increased productivity the next day because you’re happy that you slept or went out with friends or whatever.
3. If you want something, ask for it (nicely)! Also and related, every choice you make is two choices: the choice and its consequences. Bitching without acting means that you essentially choose and accept that whatever you’re complaining about is gonna keeping being what it is. Approach individuals in good faith and you’ll be astounded by the response. Administrators at Columbia DO care, it just gets lost somewhere in the trickle-down. When Carolyn and I spoke to the groundskeeper about the lawns, he said he’d never heard these concerns from students before–actually it’s probably just that no one had ever approached him without having already decided he was the enemy (he’s not! He’s such a grandpa!!). Be willing to listen and understand the other side of the story and you’ll see that yours gets through so much easier.

Back in my day…John Jay had waffles err’day, green flags were a myth, and SEAS study abroad seemed impossible.

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: I believe stories are the currency of life and strive to live accordingly. Also Goldfarb has a picture of me on his phone and free pens exist because of me.

(more…)

Illustration by Leila Mgaloblishvili, CC ’16

One more piece from the May issue of The Blue and White: a Campus Character. Daniel Stone profiles University Senator Richard Sun. You can still grab a copy in Lerner. Or read the damn thing online.

At the suggestion of Richard Sun, CC ’13, we meet in the gaudily adorned lobby of Le Parker Meridian on 56th Street off 6th Avenue. Below five hundred dollar-a-night rooms and next to non-functional renaissance columns, a maroon curtain hides the Burger Joint. Waiting in the long line to get in, Sun tells me he likes the place partly because you “wouldn’t expect to find a relaxed and greasy burger joint at the heart of the hotel.” (It’s also near Brooks Brothers, where he has been shopping and the fare’s good.) Inside the cramped restaurant, as if to hide the fact that the hotel also runs it, graffiti uniformly covers the walls. Prices are written on cardboard boxes in marker. He orders two cheeseburgers and a milkshake. When it turns out they have run out of milkshakes, he opts for water. Then, we sit.

Sun wears many hats. At Columbia, most know him as one of the three University Senators who represent Columbia College, the man who knocked on hundreds of doors to secure victory in his campaign last year. Those who miss his semi-regular USenate email updates may know him as an RA in Carman, Economics TA, brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon, or member of the Ski Team. Many are also familiar with his collection of hard-to-get internships, including a semester in the White House and a summer working for Columbia’s favorite consulting firm, McKinsey & Company. In the past four years, Sun has garnered—along with his impressive resume—a complicated reputation as a public figure on campus. (more…)

What makes you happy?

It’s not unusual to wake up after a night at 1020 with some unexpected texts on your phone. In Bwog’s case, we woke up to find an interview in voice memo form. On Tuesday, two adventurous seniors, Anna and Diana (anonymity requested), CC and SEAS’13, decided to stay in 1020 from opening to closing. At 2:20 am, 10 hours and 20 minutes into their stay, Bwog sat down at the front table to check in with them.

Bwog: How long have you been at 1020? 

Diana: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 1, 2…10 hours!

Anna: 10 hours and 20 minutes.  Since 4 o’clock, opening time.

Bwog: And how long are you going to be here till?

Anna and Diana: Until it closes! [agonized shouts]

Anna: I thought it was gonna be 3, but considering the crowd that’s come out, I think it’s gonna be more like 4:30. I think last call will be 3:50 and everyone will be gone by 4:30.

Diana: Are we gonna be the last people here?

Anna: I think so, yeah.

Diana: I assumed we would.

Anna: It’s all a work in progress.

Bwog: When did you come up with this idea?

Anna: Two nights ago!

Diana: We wanted to do it for a long time, and then we just were like “fuuuuck, let’s do it.”

(more…)

Meriam Raouf

For the second Senior Wisdom of the day we present Meriam Raouf, who takes “30 words or fewer” literally and “one thing to do” less so.

Name, Hometown, School: Meriam Raouf – Flakes, New Jersey – CC

Claim to fame? I half-heartedly interned for KCR like 1 semester a year, and never took the test, so there’s that. I think I got nominated because I may or may not have pooped in the pool during my swim test.  I lived in the Writer’s House in Harmony, I usually have tequila with me at Quarto readings.

Where are you going? You’re not the boss of me.

Three things you learned at Columbia:

1. The only thing dumber than wearing a bikini on campus on a brisk day in May, is discussing it. In fact, the only thing dumber than doing any dumb thing, is discussing it. It’s like you didn’t even see Mean Girls.
   
2. If food, mice. Every damn time.
3. If you make a joke, and it is too much for your friends, and this happens a lot, and you feel weird about it, make new friends, not new jokes. Your second joke will be worse and your second friend will be better.

Back in my day… Well first of all, John Jay had Hogwarts lighting. The turnstile at Lerner was fucked up so that if you swiped your ID without paying attention to the click, it would clothesline you right in the crotch. It was funny to watch people do–I’m pretty sad they fixed that. 1020 didn’t dare have a LINE, let alone a ROPE for that line, the nerve. The artist formally known as Campo was just Campo, a place where freshmen could get drunk in the morning, and a half-decent second base at night. Women were not allowed to go to Columbia, Four-Loko was not Three-Loko, and not a single igloo was left un-hotboxed.

(more…)

In the course of studying, Bwog discovered some questionable commentary in notes and readings.  See how bad we are at being students:

Serena Piol

The first Senior Wisdom of the day is Serena Piol, who wrote her thesis about milk despite being lactose-intolerant.

Name, Hometown, School: Serena Piol, New York City, Columbia College

Claim to fame? I would have to say either that I wrote my thesis about milk or that I successfully housed my dog in EC for a week.

Where are you going? For now, right back to the womb.

Three things you learned at Columbia:

1. Don’t be afraid to quit.  College is too short to do something that makes you miserable.  No one is forcing you to do something for your entire four years.  Try it out. If you like it, continue.  If you don’t, at least you learned something (or didn’t) and you can move on.  This doesn’t just apply to clubs.  This applies to classes (it’s why we have a shopping period!) and people (meet lots but don’t waste your time on the ones that aren’t worth wasting time on).
   
2. Don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable.  Do FemSex. Go to Take Back the Night.  Take a dance class. Go to ROOTed discussions. Do things like the What I Be project.  Embrace your vulnerability because you will grow from it.
3. Use the time between classes.  Don’t underestimate the fact that you could write a page or two of your CC paper during that random 50 minute break you have.  That’s a page or two you wont have to write later and 50 more minutes of sleep.

Back in my day… JJ’s had microblasts, internet trolls had I See You Columbia and College ACB, and Senior Night was only for Seniors.

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: I was potty trained by 1 and haven’t since done anything to trump that.

(more…)

Gone green

While everyone is running out to finish finals, pack and peace out, there are some that stay behind to pick up the pieces. Leftovers for the Give and Go Greeners!

Every year, at the end of the spring Give and Go Green (run under EcoReps) takes on the task to make move out as waster-free as possible. You reject it? They take it! And, better yet, they sell it in the fall so that students can get fridges, hangers, fans, basically anything for basically the price of nothing. The money goes to programs such as bikeshare, or composting, or earth week (also run by EcoReps). A self-sustainable budget for a sustainable development group.

Conclusion? DONATE YOUR STUFF to Give & Go Green before Saturday the 18th.

There are bins/drop off locations at Carman, Hartley, John Jay, EC, Schapiro, Woodbridge, Nussbaum, Harmony, Broadway, Furnald, Ruggles & McBain. At Barnard, drop off locations are in Elliot, Plimpton, 110, 600, 616, Cathedral Gardens, and Sulzberger. Contact ecorepscu@gmail.com for any questions, or ask on the facebook page.

P.S. do the math, instead of storing a fridge all summer you give it and buy one at the sale in the fall…

Sick ‘em

It’s Thursday. We’re on the homestretch, we’re almost there! Take a minute to join Bwog in bed for a quick mind-cuddle. For more Bwog-love, send your overheards, questions and poetry to tips@bwog.com

Bwogline: Ivy League? More like the Crime-y League. White-only scholarships, under-reported sex crimes, freshman arrested for aggravated sexual assault? Summer can’t come quickly enough.

Procrastinate: Try to figure out where on earth you are! Or take a look at what it’s like in space, courtesy of InterStellar Sex God Chris Hadfield.

Finals Tip: Instead of studying, work on perfecting your dog whistle. Whip it out in the middle of your exam. Dogs through the windows, dogs through the floors, dogs swirling around the desks and dogs chewing on your T.A.’s leg. Your  exam will be completely forgotten.

Overheard:

Two disillusioned students by Wallach: Lit Hum is so pointless. When was the last time you opened the classified section and it said, ‘Sing, customer, of the shoes that the baby bought and the happiness that they brought unto the entire family.’ or ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that baby shoes are cheaper at Target.’

Pooches via Shutterstock

Brian Wagner

Little-known fact: contrary to popular belief, Bwog does not stand for the Blue and White Blog, but for Brian Wagner, Original Gangster. Our second former Bwogger to share his wisdom: Brian Wagner, previous managing editor, gchat hero, and 95% of the reason Bwog did not crash on a daily basis for a year. Thanks, Brian.

Name, Hometown, School: Brian Wagner; Park Ridge, Illinois; SEAS (which surprises a lot of people for some reason)

Claim to fame: I used to write and edit things that (hopefully most of you) read. Once I did a really good job of describing the average Columbia student.

Where are you going? For now, Los Angeles to put computers in spaceships. Or robots or something. Later, who knows? I don’t like the idea of staying in one place for long.

Three things you learned at Columbia:

• 1. When you disagree with people, it’s easy to mistake your argument with their idea for an argument with their character. Once you stop doing that, it’ll make your conversations actually productive. And I’ve yet to meet someone with whom I’ve disagreed that I haven’t enjoyed grabbing a beer with.
• 2. Don’t fear failure. In order to achieve anything worthwhile, you’re going to have to step out of your comfort zone and take risks. It’s okay if things don’t end well (and believe me, sometimes they don’t), because that’s how you learn. I failed a class while I was here and it taught me more about myself and the world than practically everything else. Try not to fail any classes though, cause that sucks.
• 3. The reason you’re here is likely because back in high school, you were the best. Now you’re not (probably). But that’s okay, because now you’re surrounded by literally hundreds of people who are just as smart, talented, caring, and incredible as you are. And once you learn to accept that you don’t have to be the greatest anymore, you can ditch that competitive attitude and start forming real relationships with your peers. Do it—they, morso than anything else—are the best resource Columbia has to offer, and don’t be afraid to ask your friends for help when you need it.
• 3.1. Don’t put two spaces after a period. Just don’t.

Back in my day…NSOP meant frat parties, study breaks meant J.J.’s place; NoCo wasn’t finished yet; Bwog looked bluer; EC lounges reminded me of parties and not studying; and everyone else looked older than me.

(more…)